


Into the Unknown

by sistersophie



Category: The Grand Tour (TV) RPF, Top Gear (UK) RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 16:55:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16916718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sistersophie/pseuds/sistersophie
Summary: The boys are on tour, and Jeremy realises that he has new feelings for Richard.  Are they mutual?





	Into the Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the Picture Paints 1000 Words challenge on CHM Slash.

It was fifteen minutes before showtime. Jeremy stood outside the arena, smoking his third cigarette in succession.

He wasn’t nervous about the upcoming performance. _Top Gear Live_ was a tried and true commodity; it was well scripted, and even if something went a bit off, Jeremy knew that he and the others could always improvise. The audiences did appreciate the unexpected.

What he hadn’t counted on was his reaction to seeing Richard again for the first time in almost two months. For some reason, the little man had decided to grow a goatee on his face, and Jeremy could not explain why he found this attractive. He also couldn’t understand how the sound of Richard’s laughter had suddenly become so intoxicating.

_I’m too old for him,_ he insisted to himself, taking another drag. _And I’m too tall for him._

Now that was ridiculous. He should not be judging the potential of a partner based on their height; he had gone out with many shorter people in the past. It wasn’t Jeremy’s fault that he was well over six feet tall.

_I shouldn’t be dating my colleague_ , he decided at last, and that finally felt like a legitimate excuse. 

_And he wouldn’t be interested anyway._ Though actually, Jeremy wasn’t quite as sure about this one. There was something about the way Richard would look up at him, his brown eyes soft, his perfect mouth quirked in a smile, his hands on his hips – it was part hero worship, and part something that Jeremy couldn’t quite bring himself to call “flirting.”

_Bollocks. It’s too late now, we’re friends, nothing more, and that’s not going to change._

Jeremy finished his smoke and went back inside.

****

His resolution cracked almost immediately when he saw what Richard was wearing this evening – a black button-down shirt that was open just enough at the neck to expose a small portion of skin. Richard’s jeans hugged his hips and thighs perfectly, and his feet were decked out in a pair of comfortable black trainers. He was chatting and laughing with James as the sound technician adjusted their lavalier microphones.

Jeremy felt silly in his printed t-shirt and was glad he had not taken his jacket off when he had come back inside. Maybe he would just wear it throughout tonight’s performance. Nobody really looked at him anyway – they mostly were there for the cars and the stunts, and some of the ladies screamed for Richard and James – so Jeremy’s job would be to keep everything moving and stay out of the way.

The technician spotted Jeremy and hurried over to fit his microphone, and Richard followed him. 

“Couldn’t find you, mate. I thought we’d have to start without you.”

Jeremy’s heart fluttered, and he felt the last of his resistance crumble away. He could only manage a quick glance at Richard’s face. “Sorry,” he muttered with more gruffness than he really felt. “Lost track of the time.”

Richard cocked his head. “You okay, Jeremy?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” Richard didn’t move, so Jeremy forced himself to look at him again and smile. “Let’s do this show now, shall we?”

****

Yes, it was going smoothly – even James was nailing his lines, and people were laughing in all the right places. None of the crew had even commented on Jeremy wearing his jacket onstage, and he was glad that he had left it on. It felt like an extra layer of armour that was shielding his churning emotions from the rest of the world.

At one point, when Richard was speaking in front of him on stage, Jeremy caught a whiff of cologne, and his eyes wandered over the back of Richard’s head and then downward, fixating for just a moment on Richard’s perfect arse. _Stop that_ , he told himself, deliberately tearing his gaze away and hoping it hadn’t been too obvious.

The audience laughed at Richard’s scripted joke, and Jeremy had his next line ready, stepping around so that the little man was no longer directly in his view. The rest of the segment went by without incident, but Jeremy knew that this would only get harder for him, unless he did something about it right away.

He waited until they were both backstage, while James went out to introduce one of the stunt driving acts. Richard was at the refreshments table, getting himself a glass of water. Now was a good time. 

Jeremy stepped up to him. “Could I have a word?”

Richard put his glass down and wiped his mouth. “Something wrong?”

Jeremy didn’t quite know how to answer this. He settled for putting a hand on Richard’s shoulder and guiding him to a dark corner, away from the backstage crew.

“What is it?” Richard asked when they had finally come to a halt. 

“I….” Jeremy hesitated, feeling the colour rising in his face. “Rich, would you like to have a drink after the show?”

Richard laughed. “Just one? You know me better than that. Andy always sets us up with plenty of booze for the afterparty.”

“I’m not talking about the afterparty. I’m talking about later. With me. In my hotel room.”

Richard’s eyes widened for a moment, and Jeremy felt a sudden dread that he had misread everything for all these weeks and months. It hadn’t been flirtation after all. _Oh, for fuck’s sweet sake, Jezza._

But then Richard’s expression relaxed, and his hand reached out to touch Jeremy’s arm. “Yes. I’d like that very much.”

The relief was palpable. Jeremy felt a smile spreading his face. He nodded. “All right, then.”

Richard grinned back at him and gave his arm a quick squeeze. In turn, Jeremy clasped the smaller man by the shoulder. It was as much a promise of things to come as it was an acknowledgement of where they were right now. They were both prepared for this leap into the unknown.

Behind them, there was loud applause as the stunt cars made their way to the stage.


End file.
